Legal Services for Businesses

Insurance

Our Team

Ryan Swanson has a long history of providing quality legal services to insurers, reinsurers, agents and insurance brokers across the United States. Our team-oriented approach to solving insurance, legal and regulatory problems focuses on quickly identifying client needs and then providing creative, efficient and cost-effective legal services.

Located in Seattle, the attorneys in our Insurance Group offer many years of experience advising in employment matters, construction law, real estate transactions, business contracts, taxation, and general corporate matters. We also provide representation in administrative and litigation matters.

Our attorneys strive to keep our clients compliant with the vast code of Washington regulations, which spans all aspects of insurance, and vigorously represent them when defending or appealing unfair government treatment.

Areas of Experience

Regulatory and Administrative

Regulatory agency proceedings

Administrative hearings and appeals

Market conduct reviews and compliance audits

Rate and form filing

Multi-state licensing

Corporate Transactions

Purchasing and Risk Retention Groups

Form and organize new companies

Mergers, acquisitions, sales

Due diligence

Develop business plans

Corporate and business tax

Legislative Monitoring

Monitor pending legislation and regulations

Work with regulatory agencies in all states

Litigation

Represent insurance companies in:

Class actions

Coverage and contract issues

Bad faith issues

Employment and work place issues

Insolvency

Guaranty fund

Representation in insurer impairments and insolvencies

Holding Company Act

Representative Experience

Farmers Insurance Group. We represented Farmers Insurance Group in the State of Washington in connection with Insurance Department hearings and related matters on the BATUS takeover of Farmers and attempt of Sir James Goldsmith Group to take over BAT and Farmers.

Merrill Lynch. We acted as local counsel for Merrill Lynch, which sold a Washington domestic insurance company, relocated a second insurance company and resolved through arbitration and appraisal the dissolution of a real property joint venture which owned an office tower. The insurance company was sold for an amount in excess of $100 million, and the office tower was valued at $26 million. There was a purchaser and seller for the insurance business, and two partners in the real estate joint venture. In the sale of the insurance business, we advised our client regarding regulatory matters, employment matters, ERISA plan termination matters, litigation review and certain corporate matters. In the joint venture termination, we advised our client regarding arbitration and appraisal matters. We prepared opinion letters, due diligence reports, and drafted settlement documents in connection with both matters.

Other Transactions. We represented coalitions of companies and individual companies in a variety of matters before insurance departments and administrative tribunals.

We were successful in an administrative appeal in North Carolina to have insurance guaranty fund assessments reapportioned, saving our client companies and those similarly situated approximately $7 million in assessments. We also represented a leading Washington insurer in a complex market conduct examination by the Washington Insurance Department, and currently represent a major insurance and financial services corporation in the regulatory review accompanying the merger of corporate entities.

We also routinely represent insurance companies in a variety of matters before the Washington Insurance Department, including product filing, complaint resolution, trade name issues, and applications for authority to transact business.